‘Adventures are to the adventurous,’ said Minerva.
‘Here is Hercules! here is Hercules!’
‘Seize him!’ said Jove; ‘seize that man.’
In vain the mortal struggled with the irresistible demigod.
‘Shall I fetch your thunderbolt, Jove?’ inquired Ganymede.
‘Anything short of eternal punishment is unworthy of a God,’ answered Jupiter, with great dignity. ‘Apollo, bring me a wheel of your chariot.’
‘What shall I do to-morrow morning?’ inquired the God of Light.
‘Order an eclipse,’ replied Jove. ‘Bind the insolent wretch to the wheel; hurl him to Hades; its motion shall be perpetual.’
‘What am I to bind him with?’ inquired Hercules.
‘The girdle of Venus,’ replied the Thunderer.